Russia’s state arms trader signs contracts to export 100,000 AK rifles in 2017

MOSCOW, Sept. 21– Russia’s sole state arms exporter Rosoboronexport has signed seven contracts to deliver over 100,000 AK weapons to foreign markets this year, the company said Tuesday.

“Asia-Pacific, Middle Eastern, African and Latin American countries are interested in the AK assault rifles. In 2017, we have concluded seven contracts for supplies of more than 100,000 of various AK weapons and have entered talks on supplies of the rifles with a number of other customers,” Rosoboronexport’s CEO Alexander Mikheev said at an unveiling ceremony of a monument dedicated to the prestigious designer of the AK series Mikhail Kalashnikov.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the birth of the legendary AK-47 rifle, which represents the masterpiece among the small arms Kalashnikov designed.

Over 15,000 weapons originally designed by Kalashnikov have been built under a production license in 2017, bringing the total rifles produced since 2001 up to several hundred thousand, Mikheev said.Among all Russian-made small arms, Kalashnikov’s assault rifles are the most popular with foreign customers, which are currently in service with some 100 foreign military forces, according to Rosoboronexport.The company said it has so far exported more than one million various rifles in total.Currently, Rosoboronexport is promoting the AK-74M and AK-100 family of rifles (AK-101, AK-102, AK-103, AK-104 and AK-105) in the international market, and new models of the AK rifle are expected to be presented soon. – XINHUA